Hiring keynote speakers in Canada

Published on April 03, 2014

Getting it right: Hiring keynote speakers in Canada. Throughout my entire career, here is what I have learned very clearly. That the person in charge of booking keynote speakers in Canada has the weight of the world on their shoulders to get it right and here is why. From the outset this is what is being asked of them. To clearly understand the goals and objectives of 50 or 100 or 1000 of their peers at a conference. Then scour Canada and go through all the keynote speakers available. Then they have to try and match background, topic, presentation style, experience, budgets, and travel, scheduling and materials and all of it to that one objective of getting it right. All of their work, if they get it right, will culminate in a very few words written on the evaluation form at the end. “Great speaker” is the prize. Anything less is an assault on all of the work that went into it. As one of the top keynote speakers in Canada I see this very clearly and have had a great many conversations with those charged with the task of selecting speakers. It can be and often is a stressful experience. In order to alleviate many of the challenges here is a list of questions to consider and what I would suggest to consider for those looking to hire keynote speakers. Canada has thousands of people looking for work as a speaker. Here are some of the key questions to ask that can help to clear the waters and improve your chances of selecting the right speaker in Canada.

How many years have they been speaking professionally?
Is this their only business or a sideline to their regular job?
Can they provide a long list of past clients who have provided testimonials and who are available for a reference call?
Do they have a high quality video demo of their work?
Do they have a book or books available here in Canada?
Will they take the time to meet with you and your team and customize their presentation to your event?
Are the keynote speakers represented by the major speaking bureaus in Canada? (this will provide an extra layer of vetting)
Do they respond to you in a timely fashion?
Do they have work or personal experience to validate and back up their presentation?

One very important question, which is something I addressed some time ago having gained a clear understanding of the challenge of booking a keynote speaker in Canada is this.

Do they guarantee your satisfaction of their work?

In order to alleviate stress this was something I implemented over a year ago and feel the responsibility is on me to stand behind what I do. My guarantee states, “If the majority of those in attendance (75%+) do not feel I was one of the best keynote speakers in Canada I will waive my entire fee. Finally, asking how the speaker what the intended outcome of their presentation is will be key to making certain you selected the right keynote speaker in Canada. The speaker should be able to clearly articulate what the take away points of their presentation will be as well as providing a clear path to implement what is proposed. Getting the check and the applause is normally how most presentations end. Getting your people to start something is the true prize. There is no science to making certain you select the perfect keynote speaker in Canada but these questions will help to improve your chances to get it right.